4 Bands From the 1960s Who Were Ahead of Their Time (And You’ve Probably Never Heard of Them)

The 1960s launched some of the most iconic rock bands of a generation. Sadly, though, a lot of those genuinely fantastic bands have been more or less lost to time. And I think a select few are worth remembering and enjoying in the 2020s. Let’s take a look at a few bands from the 1960s who were way ahead of their time!

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1. Bubble Puppy

Remember Bubble Puppy? A few old heads who got to enjoy the birth of psychedelic rock might remember this outfit. “Hot Smoke And Sassafras” was their main claim to fame, and that 1969 hit made it to no. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. They were set up for success, but ended up disbanding in the early 1970s.

2. The Electric Prunes

A solid psychedelic rock band with a very psychedelic name, The Electric Prunes just sounded different in their heyday. Psychedelia was already established by the time they hit the scene, but the way The Electric Prunes approached the genre was very experimental and made use of new technology. 

“I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)” is one of their finest and most popular songs. Sadly, they were just too out there for their time and disbanded in 1970. However, they have since gotten back together.

3. The Misunderstood

This 1960s rock band was way ahead of their time. In fact, The Misunderstood boasted much of the distorted guitar work and loud feedback that would become popular in grunge and alt-rock, decades later. The band’s lyrics often critiqued social norms, and their sound was even more experimental than you’d expect from their era. 

It’s wild that they didn’t blow up, considering how innovative they were. Sadly, The Misunderstood disbanded in 1969.

4. Silver Apples

Few bands pioneered the early iteration of electronic rock tunes quite like Silver Apples. They really don’t get as much recognition as they deserve. 

This psych-rock duo used synthesizers before they had really taken off in popular music. The music they made didn’t sound amateurish, either. Silver Apples was incredibly creative, but they were just too ahead of their time. The band broke up in 1970, but periodically got back together until they disbanded for good in 2016.

Photo by GAB Archive/Redferns

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